Summary

The reader is introduced to the Murphys and a boy named Jimmy who lives with the Murpheys. Jimmy wants to meet his real father (who the book says is in prison) but his mother refuses to go with him. She points to various wounds and claims they came from Jimmy’s father. However, Jimmy remembers seeing her injuries after a fight with his step-father, Patrick.

Next, the reader meets Erin who has only been briefly mentioned earlier in the novel. She is an artist who loves magic and mentions that the Wiccan culture is a part of her. It is revealed that Patrick is her father and she avoids him. Her brother Jimmy was accused of sexually assaulting one of Erin’s friends in the past, but Erin believes she was lying.

After work one day, Jimmy relaxes with two other coworkers. The...